Bartlett drugstore robbery was 1 of 3 within just hours

Armed robbers struck the Bartlett Prescription Shop (5675 Stage Road) just before 10 a.m. on May 4 and made off with thousands in narcotics and cough medicine.

The business owner said two men entered with semi-automatic handguns and ordered employees to get down on the floor. Those two suspects wore black hoodies, black mask, white gloves, black pants and white shoes, and the first suspect’s pants had a white stripe.

The unarmed suspect jumped the counter and demanded all of the shop’s Norco, Phenergan, OxyContin, Percocet and codeine. He had long black dreadlocks and wore a black mask, a green rain jacket and bluejeans.

Once they had the drugs, the trio fled in a black GMC Terrain Denali with dark-tinted windows, heading west on Stage Road. No tag information is available.

The robbers got away with more than 6,000 pills and 10 units of liquid medications, a total of $1,845.71 in prescription drugs.

The Bartlett heist was among three pharmacies hit in Shelby County within hours, including the Medicine Shoppe in East Memphis and Walgreens at East Shelby Drive and Hacks Cross.

When asked if the same people were suspected in each case, Capt. Tina Schaber of the Bartlett Police Department said that although the crimes all happened within a short period of time, they had different characteristics and it’s not known if the incidents are related.

The Memphis Police Department reportedly has averaged about one drugstore robbery every couple of weeks since the fall of 2016.